The Democratic advocate., 1887-07-16

need not be afraid of speaking out. Mrs
Arbuthnot is not nervous-she has no fear
of ghosts-in fact, l think she would
rather live in house with a ghost than
not I want you to tell me how much OF
ghost there is here.
Mr.. Taylor, shrewd, middle-aged York
shireman, looked at me with twinklng
ewes, and laugh lurking in the corners of
his large, firmly cut mouth. He was evl-
IDENTIFY highly amused at me for thinking
that could get anything out of him that
he didn't want to reveal.
II am sure, madam, | should have the
greatest pleasure in telling you everything
if there were anything to tell-it's just a
pack of nonsense. There are no ghosts
; here; can assure you Of that
NBut, Mr. Taylor, there must be some
reason for assuming, as you do in your
agreement, that your tenant may wish to
leave abruptly before her tenancy has ex-
pired, and may also wish to resist paying
for the house.
'Oh no, madame, l assure you it is just
an agreement like any other agreement
they all have conditions of that kind in
them"
'sNot quite like that" answered reso-
lutely. aCome, you are not dealing With
a lady who will want to act dishonorably,
and am sure she won't mind ghost or
two-so do tell me.
'Since the lady is of so hospitable
turn" he replied, II am almost sorry that
there is no ghost. l will, however, own
that lot of silly nonsense has been talked
about the place of late years, and it has
got about among the servants, and given
her ladyship a great deal of trouble-that
is one Of the main reasons for her leaving
the hall. She has such difficulty in keep
| ing her women servants. They come here
and they fancy things, so they go, and new
ones come, but they very soon hear what
the old ones have said and fancied, and
Immediately feel themselves bound to fancy
the same thing. That's how it was, and
there really was no bearing it. Besides,
her ladyship likes cheerful place, aud
prefers Scarboro. Now, madam, 1 think
your friend had better not trust to getting
any servants here, but bring her own Lon
don ones and say nothing about the ghost,
/ will speak to all the outdoor servants
here, and to their wives and families, and
impress on them that they will lose their
places if they breathe one hint of this
stupid story to any of Mrs, Arbuthnot's
household. l am known to be man of
my word, so I'll answer for it that she will
come and go, and no ghost be either seen
or heard of by her or any one."
II think that extremely probable, Mr..
Taylor Thank you for what you intend
doing. By the bye, what was the ghost
like that these people saw2"
But 1 was going too far. He rose in-.
stantly, took his hat with the air of a man
who could endure no more of such nom
sense, and said: "They saw no ghost
There was no ghost to see! People are.so
foolish-so downright foolish-especially
women-I mean women servants" and
with this, and a bow, he departed.
went to Laura. She was giving direc-
tionS, for she wished to come to Iealholm
Immediately.
"Come upstairs with me again, Lucy"
she whispered; ''the house is all but mine
now, so they won't mind our going alone"
The housekeepeF seemed quite willing to
let us do as we liked, so we went upstairs
together.
"What do you want to see ?" I asked.
"There is one little room,' she answered
tremulously, "a little room 1 discovered
not long before left London-the house
keeper did not show it to us, and do so
long to see ii"
stared at her in utter dismay, and fall
tered out, II don't quite understand you,
Laura"
She smiled and answered, "Don't look
so miserable I am not ILL., Strange things
do sometimes happen in this world"
ayes, but nothing is happening now
You must be ill-yery lido let us get
home. You talk of discovering little rooms
here while you were still in London-isn't
that enough to make me uleasy2 And
how do you know so much about this house
you have never been here before p
"Never in the body, but night after
night in spirit-night after night have
dreamed of this house. I know every
room-every picture on the walls-every
bit of furniture | know them far better
than that woman who showed them to us.
I have always thought of 1t as my house. |
have spoken of it as my house, Agnes and
Ruth will tell you that-they know it from
my description almost as well as do, and
they call it mothers house And now,
DEAR" she said, bursting into tears, ait is
my housel"
When | see people yield to strong emo
ton of any kind, it has, for moment, at
any rate, curious tendency to arouse my
anger and impatienee. Itdid SO now-the
woman was so foolish and unreasonable,
and so headstrong in her determination to
believe in her own weak fancies.
''Let us go to your little room, said /,
''but don't expect me to believe in it unless
you take me straight to it without one mo-
ment's hesitation as to the way"
"There Is no difficulty in doing that
she answered calmly, and went on upstairs,
and once more along the corridor. Then
she opened door near the end of it, and
entered long, narrow room in which were
two small beds. She walked quite across
the room to one of the beds and drew aside
a screen which Stood before and completely
hid what looked like the door of rather
low cupboard. Before she turned the
handle of this she said "You will have to
stoop, or you will hurt your head-theFe
are two steps down, and they are steep
ones"
1 did stoop. There were two steps
down, and they were steep.
Having accomplished the descent safely,
we found ourselves suddenly in square,
rather low-ceilinged room with wide, low,
latticed window. 1t looked into pretty
oldfashioned garden. The room was very
simply furnished, but each of us women
felt ID moment that the possession of il
as quiet retreat of our own would add a
/ Joy to our lives that they had never known
before.
swell, have l not brought you herewith
out swerving from the right path for a
moment? Now, Lucy, do you believe what
I said ?"
But I would not say believed, only
~ T L Il II